Read why Dr. Pearce says, "Don't diet!" but instead do easy calorie math to lose weight.
"One of the things I love to say to people is, 'Don't diet,''' says Aimee Pearce, MD, family medicine physician and medical director at Bassett-Oneida Health Center.
"If you say to somebody, 'Never have that piece of chocolate cake, or never have dessert,' all a person really wants is that piece of cake or that dessert. I say instead, 'Everything in moderation (with the exception of soda).'"
"My suggestion is that people do some basic calorie math. I suggest that people invest time for three or four days to jot down what they are eating and take the time to write down the calories. Th en they can calculate the average number of calories they consume daily. Subtract 500 calories from that daily total. Here's the math: 500 calories x 7 days = 3,500 calories. It takes 3,500 calories to lose one pound. Five hundred calories fewer per day might only equal one slice less of pizza, an extra serving of dinner or a piece of cake. It's just smaller amounts removed on a regular basis over the course of a week that's going to make steady progress toward losing weight."
